The memory markers will return to memory mile during the Rotary Run for Life.

The Rotary club’s run is on Sept. 8 at Heritage Park in Stony Plain and registration is still open. There are currently almost 300 runners and walkers registered for the event which is comparable to last year’s numbers.

Lisa Gilchrist, chair of the event, said that last year they raised more than $63,000 for suicide prevention and mental health programs in the Tri-Region.

The runners start and finish at Heritage Park at 8 a.m. They travel along 50 Street taking a left on 47 Avenue and on to the park trail. Those participating in the five-kilometre race will turn around at the skateboard park while those in the 10-kilometre and half-marathon continue onwards.

Those running the 10-kilometre will venture to the parking lot of the Multicultural Heritage Centre before making the return trip, while the half-marathoners jog for 79 Avenue then head north on Golf Course Road before turning around near the end of Fairway Drive.

The event is not just about raising money, it also raises awareness and gives hope to those who have lost loved ones to suicide or mental health. The memory mile plays a large part in this goal as the display boards show photos, mementos, quotes and stories that friends, and family create in remembrance. Gilchrist said though it is emotional she looks forward to running past the markers.

“It’s a poignant reminder that mental health needs to have a focus and that suicide impacts many people and changes lives forever,” Gilchrist said.

The event begins with the markers being paraded into Heritage Park followed by a moment of silence for those lost. Gilchrist said as many as one in five people will experience mental health concerns and the run helps raise awareness and encourages self-care to aid in reducing the risk and severity of mental illness.

While Gilchrist is running in the event, she admits having to downgrade from the 10-kilometre to the five-kilometre run since her training fell through. She said, however, that even if a runner or walker is not in the peak of their performance the event is important enough to bring everyone out.